DOCSLIB.ORG

Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland Former Director-General, World Health Organization

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland Former Director-General, World Health Organization DR. GRO HARLEM BRUNDTLAND FORMER DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION A medical doctor and Master of Public Health (MPH), Gro Harlem Brundtland spent 10 years as a physician and scientist in the Norwegian public health system. For more than 20 years she was in public office, 10 of them as Prime Minister. In the 1980s she gained international recognition, championing the principle of sustainable development as the chair of the World Commission of Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission). Dr. Brundtland's first choice of career was neither environmentalist nor politician, but to become a doctor like her father. He was a specialist in rehabilitation medicine, a skill much in demand following World War II. When Brundtland was 10 years old, the family moved to the United States where her father had been awarded a Rockefeller scholarship. The seeds of internationalism were sown in the young girl. Dr. Brundtland inherited another passion from her father - political activism. At the age of seven, she was enrolled as a member of the Norwegian Labour Movement in its children’s section and has been a member ever since, leading the Labour Party to election victory three times. The sense of global awareness that began in her childhood developed when, as a young mother and newly qualified doctor, she won a scholarship to the Harvard School of Public Health. Here, working alongside distinguished public health experts, Dr. Brundtland’s vision of health extending beyond the confines of the medical world into environment issues and human development began to take shape. The next nine years were to be very hectic for Dr. Brundtland after returning to Oslo and the Ministry of Health in 1965. At the Ministry she worked on children’s health issues including breastfeeding, cancer prevention and other diseases. She worked in the children’s department of the National Hospital and Oslo City Hospital and became Director of Health Services for Oslo’s schoolchildren while bringing up her own family and representing Norway in international conferences. Such energy, enthusiasm and commitment brought an unexpected change to her career. In 1974, Dr. Brundtland was offered the job as Minister of the Environment. At first, believing she did not have enough experience on environmental issues, she was reluctant to accept the post. But her conviction on the link between health and the environment changed her mind. During the 1970s she acquired international recognition in environmental circles and a political reputation at home. In 1981, at the age of 41, she was appointed Prime Minister for the first time. Dr. Brundtland was the youngest person and the first woman to hold the office of Prime Minister in Norway. With two other periods as Prime Minister from 1986-1989 and 1990-1996, Dr. Brundtland accumulated more than 10 years as Head of Government. Throughout her political career, Dr. Brundtland has developed a growing concern for issues of global significance. In 1983 the then United Nations Secretary-General invited her to establish and chair the World Commission on Environment and Development. The Commission, best known for developing the broad political concept of sustainable development, published its report Our Common Future in April, 1987. The Commission’s recommendations led to the Earth Summit - the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Dr. Brundtland finally stepped down as Prime Minister in October 1996. In her successful bid to become Director-General of the World Health Organization her many skills as doctor, politician, activist and manager had come together. Dr. Brundtland was nominated as Director-General of the World Health Organization by the Executive Board of WHO in January, 1998. In her acceptance speech for the World Health Assembly, Dr. Brundtland said: "What is our Key mission? I see WHO's role as being the moral voice and the technical leader in improving health of the people of the world. Ready and able to give advice on the key issues that can unleash development and alleviate suffering. I see our purpose to be combating disease and ill-health - promoting sustainable and equitable health systems in all countries." As Director-General, Dr. Brundtland was most recognized for her efforts containing the SARS pandemic. She stepped down from her position in July 2003, but remains the leading voice behind promoting a healthier nation TOPICS INCLUDE: • Macroeconomics and Health - Investing in Health for Economic Development • Women Perspective in Leadership Program • Foreign Policy .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • ECSP Report 6
    Features Environmental Change & Security Project REPORT ISSUE NO. 6 • THE WOODROW WILSON CENTER • SUMMER 2000 TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURES X5 Human Population and Environmental Stresses in the Twenty-first Century Richard E. Benedick 19 Oiling the Friction: Environmental Conflict Management in the Niger Delta, Nigeria Okechukwu Ibeanu SPECIAL REPORTS 33 The Global Infectious Disease Threat and Its Implications for the United States National Intelligence Council 66 Exploring Capacity for Integration: University of Michigan Population-Environment Fellows Programs Impact Assessment Project Denise Caudill COMMENTARY 77 Environment, Population, and Conflict Geoffrey D. Dabelko Ted Gaulin Richard A. Matthew Tom Deligiannis Thomas F. Homer-Dixon Daniel M. Schwartz 107 Trade and the Environment Martin Albrow Andrea Durbin Kent Hughes Stephen Clarkson Mikhail Gorbachev Anju Sharma William M. Daley Tamar Gutner Stacy D. VanDeveer OFFICIAL STATEMENTS AND DOCUMENTS 119 William J. Clinton; Albert Gore, Jr.; Madeleine K. Albright; David B. Sandalow; Benjamin A. Gilman; George W. Bush; Kofi Annan; Mark Malloch Brown; Klaus Töpfer; Nafis Sadik; Gro Harlem Brundtland ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE & SECURITY PROJECT REPORT, ISSUE 6 (SUMMER 2000) 1 Features 132 NEW PUBLICATIONS Environmental Change, Adaptation, and Security 132 Ecology, Politics, and Violent Conflict 135 Hydropolitics in the Third World: Conflict and Cooperation in International River Basins 136 Violence Through Environmental Discrimination: Causes, Rwanda Arena, and Conflict Model 139 The Sustainability
    [Show full text]
  • Gro Harlem Brundtland
    Gro Harlem Brundtland First woman Prime Minister of Norway and Deputy Chair of The Elders; a medical doctor who champions health as a human right; put sustainable development on the international agenda. Deputy Chair of The Elders Norway's first woman Prime Minister Director-General of the World Health Organization 1998-2003 UN Special Envoy on Climate Change "We are individuals who are speaking without any outside pressures. In that context we can create the potential for change." Work with The Elders Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland has been a member of The Elders its founding in 2007, bringing to the group her decades of experience as a global leader in public health and sustainable development. She has served as Deputy Chair since May 2013. As part of The Elders’ peace-building agenda, Dr Brundtland joined The Elders’ first delegation to Israel and the West Bank in August 2009 to support efforts to advance Middle East peace – paying particular attention to the impact of the conflict on ordinary Israelis and Palestinians. She has travelled to Greece, Turkey and Cyprus to encourage reconciliation between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. In April 2011 she joined an Elders delegation to the Korean Peninsula and China in an effort to improve relations between North and South Korea. A staunch advocate of gender equality as a prerequisite for development, Dr Brundtland travelled to Ethiopia in June 2011 to meet communities affected by child marriage and bring together experts and activists working to end this harmful practice. In February 2012 she travelled to India, where the Elders lent their support to youth activists tackling early marriage at the local level.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report 2018 Contents
    ANNUAL REPORT 2018 CONTENTS 3 WELCOME FROM THE HOSTING INSTITUTION 4 OVERVIEW 6 HIGHLIGHTS 2018 7 OUR RESEARCH 8 THEME 1: MATERNAL AND PATERNAL AGE 10 THEME 2: FERTILITY PROBLEMS 12 THEME 3: FERTILITY AND FAMILY STRUCTURE 14 THEME 4: STATISTICAL METHODS 16 THEME 5: INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSMISSION OF HEALTH 17 KEY PROJECTS 20 ORGANISATION 21 CORE GROUP 22 PEOPLE 24 NEW TEAM MEMBERS 2018 25 THE GRO HARLEM BRUNDTLAND VISITING SCHOLARSHIP 26 SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE 28 KEY INDICATORS 2018 29 FINANCING 2018 29 FULL-TIME EQUIVALENTS 2018 30 PUBLICATIONS 2017-2018 34 SEMINARS 2017-2018 36 TEACHING Annual report 2018 3 WELCOME FROM THE HOSTING INSTITUTION CAMILLA STOLTENBERG DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE NORWEGIAN INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC HEALTH As Director-General of the Norwegian these fertility changes, using Norway’s expansion, and is active in applying Institute of Public Health, I am proud rich data from registers, health surveys for further funding from H2020, the to welcome the Centre for Fertility and and biobanks. The Centre will provide Research Council of Norway and other Health to our institute. The Centre is new knowledge in the scientific fore- sources. Such funding will provide new one out of ten Centres of Excellence front and be useful for decision makers opportunities, and I am certain that the awarded nationally by the Research and other stakeholders in policymaking. Centre will be a great inspiration for our Council of Norway in 2017 and the only The institute provides infrastructure research and make important scientific one hosted by an institution outside the and facilities for the Centre.
    [Show full text]
  • Gro Harlem Brundtland
    Gro Harlem Brundtland First woman Prime Minister of Norway; former Director-General of WHO; a medical doctor who champions health as a human right; and put sustainable development on the international agenda. • Norway's first woman Prime Minister • Director-General of the World Health Organization, 1998-2003 • Founding member of The Elders, 2007 • Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Climate Change, 2007-2010 • Deputy Chair of The Elders, 2013-2018 • Co-chair of the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), 2018 – “It is imperative that we do everything in our power to defend and uphold the importance of global multilateral cooperation for the sake of our common future and our security.” – Gro Harlem Brundtland Work with The Elders Gro Harlem Brundtland is a founding member of The Elders. With decades of experience as a global leader in public health and sustainable development, she served as Deputy Chair from May 2013 to August 2018 and assumed the role of Acting Chair following the death of Kofi Annan in August 2018, until Mary Robinson’s appointment as Chair in October 2018. During her many years as an Elder, Gro Harlem Brundtland has met with numerous world leaders including President Ramaphosa of South Africa in 2019; President Macron of France and President Jokowi of Indonesia in 2017; President Vladimir Putin and former President Mikhail Gorbachev in 2015; and several visits to the UN to meet with Secretary-General António Guterres and other senior UN officials. Dr Brundtland frequently speaks out on the need to invest in health systems to ensure resilience to epidemics.
    [Show full text]
  • Gro Harlem Brundtland
    GRO HARLEM BRUNDTLAND Former Prime Minister of Norway(1990-1996) Former Director-General, World Health Organization(1998-2003) An energetic blend of stateswoman, physician, manager, politician, and international activist, Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland has always led the world on issues of global significance. For over four decades, she has been dedicated to global interdependence, focusing on promoting sustainable development, increasing environmental awareness, and advocating for good health as a basic human right. Dr. Brundtland spent ten years as a physician and scientist, and 20 years in public office, including serving as Prime Minister of Norway - the first woman, and the youngest person to ever do so. She was Chair of the World Commission of Environment and Development, and the first female Director-General of the World Health Organization. Her forward-thinking and global awareness continues to elevate her worldwide profile. She now serves as UN Special Envoy on Climate Change, seeking ways to balance human enterprise and the planet’s limits. The guiding force behind the “Brundtland Report” on sustainability over 20 years ago, she maintains her focus on the developmental impact of climate change and global warming. As a member of The Elders, a group founded by Nelson Mandela, Graca Machel, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, she contributes her wisdom, independent leadership, and integrity to tackling the world’s toughest problems, aiming to make the world a better place. Considered the “mother” of sustainable development, Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland
    [Show full text]
  • Images of Male Political Leaders in France and Norway
    Reconsidering Politics as a Man's World: Images of Male Political Leaders in France and Norway Anne Krogstad and Aagoth Storvik Researchers have often pointed to the masculine norms that are integrated into politics. This article explores these norms by studying male images of politics and power in France and Norway from 1945 to 2009. Both dress codes and more general leadership styles are discussed. The article shows changes in political aesthetics in both countries since the Second World War. The most radical break is seen in the way Norwegian male politicians present themselves. The traditional Norwegian leadership ethos of piety, moderation, and inward orientation is still important, but it is not as self- effacing and inelegant as it used to be. However, compared to the leaders in French politics, who still live up to a heroic leadership ideal marked by effortless superiority and seduction, the Norwegian leaders look modest. To explain the differences in political self-presentation and evaluation we argue that cultural repertoires are not only national constructions but also gendered constructions. Keywords: photographs; politics; aesthetics; gender; national cultural repertoires 1 When people think of presidents and prime ministers, they usually think of the incumbents of these offices.1 In both France and Norway, these incumbents have, with the exception of Prime Minister Edith Cresson in France and Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland in Norway, been male (and white). Researchers have often pointed to the masculine norms which are integrated into the expectations of what political officeholders should look like and be. Politics, it is claimed, is still very much a man’s world.2 However, maleness does not express general political leadership in a simple and undifferentiated way.
    [Show full text]
  • Gro Harlem Brundtland Ou L'invention Du « Développement Durable »
    Dynamiques environnementales Journal international de géosciences et de l’environnement 39-40 | 2017 Explorateurs, femmes et hommes de science : voyages en terres mal connues Gro Harlem Brundtland ou l’invention du « développement durable » Gro Harlem Brundtland or the invention of « sustainable development » Louis-Pascal Jacquemond Édition électronique URL : http://journals.openedition.org/dynenviron/541 DOI : 10.4000/dynenviron.541 ISSN : 2534-4358 Éditeur Presses universitaires de Bordeaux Édition imprimée Date de publication : 1 juin 2017 Pagination : 254-265 ISSN : 1968-469X Référence électronique Louis-Pascal Jacquemond, « Gro Harlem Brundtland ou l’invention du « développement durable » », Dynamiques environnementales [En ligne], 39-40 | 2017, mis en ligne le 01 juin 2018, consulté le 10 décembre 2020. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/dynenviron/541 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/ dynenviron.541 La revue Dynamiques environnementales est mise à disposition selon les termes de la Licence Creative Commons Attribution - Pas d'Utilisation Commerciale - Pas de Modification 4.0 International. photo 1 : Gro Brundtland lors de la conférence du 29 septembre 2014 à Salão de Atos da à l'Université fédé- rale du Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), sur les Frontières de la pensée, Porto Alegre (Crédit : Luiz Munhoz, Fronteiras do Pensamento, Licence CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia commons). Dynamiques Environnementales-Journal international des géosciences et de l’environnement, année 2017, 39-40 Gro Harlem Brundtland ou l’invention du « développement durable » 1 Louis-Pascal Jacquemond Résumé/Abstract La travailliste norvégienne Gro Harlem Brundtland, rompue à la politique par tradition familiale, a été une pionnière. Cette médecin féministe militante s’est très tôt préoccupée des questions de santé et d’environnement.
    [Show full text]
  • Our Common Future
    Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future Table of Contents Acronyms and Note on Terminology Chairman's Foreword From One Earth to One World Part I. Common Concerns 1. A Threatened Future I. Symptoms and Causes II. New Approaches to Environment and Development 2. Towards Sustainable Development I. The Concept of Sustainable Development II. Equity and the Common Interest III. Strategic Imperatives IV. Conclusion 3. The Role of the International Economy I. The International Economy, the Environment, and Development II. Decline in the 1980s III. Enabling Sustainable Development IV. A Sustainable World Economy Part II. Common Challenges 4. Population and Human Resources I. The Links with Environment and Development II. The Population Perspective III. A Policy Framework 5. Food Security: Sustaining the Potential I. Achievements II. Signs of Crisis III. The Challenge IV. Strategies for Sustainable Food Security V. Food for the Future 6. Species and Ecosystems: Resources for Development I. The Problem: Character and Extent II. Extinction Patterns and Trends III. Some Causes of Extinction IV. Economic Values at Stake V. New Approach: Anticipate and Prevent VI. International Action for National Species VII. Scope for National Action VIII. The Need for Action 7. Energy: Choices for Environment and Development I. Energy, Economy, and Environment II. Fossil Fuels: The Continuing Dilemma III. Nuclear Energy: Unsolved Problems IV. Wood Fuels: The Vanishing Resource V. Renewable Energy: The Untapped Potential VI. Energy Efficiency: Maintaining the Momentum VII. Energy Conservation Measures VIII. Conclusion 8. Industry: Producing More With Less I. Industrial Growth and its Impact II. Sustainable Industrial Development in a Global Context III.
    [Show full text]
  • Taxonomy of Minority Governments
    Indiana Journal of Constitutional Design Volume 3 Article 1 10-17-2018 Taxonomy of Minority Governments Lisa La Fornara [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/ijcd Part of the Administrative Law Commons, American Politics Commons, Comparative and Foreign Law Commons, Comparative Politics Commons, Constitutional Law Commons, International Law Commons, Law and Politics Commons, Legislation Commons, Public Law and Legal Theory Commons, Rule of Law Commons, and the State and Local Government Law Commons Recommended Citation La Fornara, Lisa (2018) "Taxonomy of Minority Governments," Indiana Journal of Constitutional Design: Vol. 3 , Article 1. Available at: https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/ijcd/vol3/iss1/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Repository @ Maurer Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Indiana Journal of Constitutional Design by an authorized editor of Digital Repository @ Maurer Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Taxonomy of Minority Governments LISA LA FORNARA INTRODUCTION A minority government in its most basic form is a government in which the party holding the most parliamentary seats still has fewer than half the seats in parliament and therefore cannot pass legislation or advance policy without support from unaffiliated parties.1 Because seats in minority parliaments are more evenly distributed amongst multiple parties, opposition parties have greater opportunity to block legislation. A minority government must therefore negotiate with external parties and adjust its policies to garner the majority of votes required to advance its initiatives.2 This paper serves as a taxonomy of minority governments in recent history and proceeds in three parts.
    [Show full text]
  • LO Og ”De Nye Gruppene”
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by NORA - Norwegian Open Research Archives LO og ”de nye gruppene”. Konseptualisering av arbeidstakerne 1975–1989 Jan Messel Avhandling for ph.d.-graden Institutt for arkeologi, konservering og historie (IAKH) Det humanistiske fakultet Universitetet i Oslo 2009 i ii Forord Denne avhandling er i hovedsak blitt til mens jeg har vært stipendiat ved det som nå heter Institutt for arkeologi, konservering og historie (IAKH). Stipendet har vært finansiert gjennom Forum for samtidshistorie (FoSam), og avhandlingsprosjektet har vært en del av et prosjekt om kollektive bevegelser som er ledet av professor Knut Kjeldstadli. Kjeldstadli har også vært min veileder og den som i størst grad skal takkes for at avhandlingen er ferdig. Vi har ikke alltid vært enige, men diskusjonene har vært konstruktive og nyttige. Veiledningsoppgaven har nok krevd en god porsjon tålmodighet, på flere måter. I første del av avhandlingsarbeidet var også seminarene om kollektive bevegelser et viktig forum for diskusjon og tilbakespill. Stipendiatmiljøet ved instituttet har spilt en viktig rolle både faglig og sosialt. De mange seminarene organisert av fakultetets ph.d.-program har gitt vesentlige innspill. De mer uformelle diskusjonene og samtalene blant stipendiater og kolleger ved instituttet har også gitt god inspirasjon. Enkelte har betydd mye. Hege Roll-Hansen har delt lidelser og gleder gjennom stor deler av avhandlingsarbeidet. I den siste perioden har et samarbeid med henne og Kerstin Bornholdt om kjønn og arbeidsbegrepet betydd mye for å klarlegge mine egne konklusjoner. Mine to nærmeste ”kontornaboer”, Marlen Ferrer og Mona Ringvej, har også vært gode å ha som samtalepartnere.
    [Show full text]
  • NORWAY Dates of Elections: 13 and 14 September 1981 Purpose of Elections Elections Were Held for All the Seats in Parliament On
    NORWAY Dates of Elections: 13 and 14 September 1981 Purpose of Elections Elections were held for all the seats in Parliament on the normal expiry of the term of members. The previous general elections took place on 11 and 12 September 1977. Characteristics of Parliament The Parliament of Norway, the Stoning, consists of 155 members elected for 4 years. The Storting is in reality a unicameral system, but when dealing with legislation, it divides in two parts. The first division is called the Lagting (acting as Upper Chamber) and the second division is called the Odelsting (acting as Lower Chamber). Under the terms of the Constitution, the Storting nominates one-fourth of its members (39) to constitute the Lagting. The remaining three-fourths (116) constitute the Odelsting. This nomination takes place at the first assembly of the Storting following a general parliamentary election. Electoral System Norwegian citizens of either sex and over the age of 18 years* on polling day are entitled to vote, provided they have resided in Norway during the previous 10 years. The right to vote is lost in the case of any person who is sentenced for criminal offences, enters the service of a foreign power without the consent of the Government, is found guilty of electoral fraud or is declared incapable of managing his or her own affairs. The electoral registers are revised every four years. Voting is not compulsory. Every qualified elector is eligible for the Storting, with the exception of Ministers and officials of the Ministries, the Royal Court and consular or diplomatic services, whose posts are deemed incompatible with the parliamentary mandate.
    [Show full text]
  • The Nordic Countries' 'Exceptionalism' in EU
    Th e Nordic Countries’ ‘Exceptionalism’ in EU Environmental Policy Lucie Tunkrova Abstract: Th e Nordic countries have a long tradition of regional cooperation. Th e end of the Cold War and the subsequent accession of Finland and Sweden to the European Union created the necessity to redefi ne the nature of this collaboration model. Th e traditional pat- tern of Nordic ‘exceptionalism’ could no longer be applied and the Nordic countries have gradually turned to the European Union as the main arena for not only the promotion of their national but also regional interests. While the Europeanisation of Nordic coopera- tion has, to some extent, diluted the original model of Nordic ‘exceptionalism,’ defi ned as being better than the others but also a model that could be applied elsewhere, it has also aff ected the European Union, where the Nordic countries have to some extent ‘nordicised’ the EU. Th e paper uses the example of Nordic countries’ eff ect on the EU environmental policy to show how sub-regions in the EU might shape European policies. Keywords: Nordic exceptionalism, EU environmental policies, Nordic cooperation Th e Nordic countries often utilise their long tradition of regional1 cooperation in various international forums. Decades of collaboration in the Nordic Council led to the harmonisation of national legislation in areas of low politics and the subsequent eff orts to promote common goals globally. In the post-Cold War era, the European Contemporary European Studies 2/2008 Articles 21 CCES4-2.inddES4-2.indd 2211 99.2.2010.2.2010 222:52:032:52:03 Union (EU) has become a dominant arena and instrument of these eff orts.
    [Show full text]